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Day 2: A dinosaur watercolor painting

I’d had this idea of painting an illustration dinosaurs and meteor-induced apocalypses and the theme “At the end of the world, all I need is you” that I’d started and then abandoned for several months. I still stand by the idea, but I’m the execution is just not where I want it to be, especially with the two protagonist brontosauruses.

I had originally planned to color them blue, but thought that purple might make them stand out better, given it’s a warmer color and a bit more vibrant. Little did I know the hues of the purple watercolors I have (really just Akashiya watercolor pens mixed with water), especially the darker purple, start separating however the hell they want to. I was aiming for a soft, purple stain for both dinosaurs. Instead, you’ll see the odd streaks (like scratches almost) and indigo, pink, and lavender segregation all across brontosaurus hide. Just… hideous. (Also, no amount of careful staining the morning after would fix that splotchy face either.)

I still love how the horizon turned out, with the kaleidoscopic sky, the deep-hued mountains, and the brilliant meteor anchoring it all. Perhaps I’ll try adding a cutout for the brontosauruses — sort of a paste-over correction if you will. Stay tuned.